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editor's note

Tanya Chaitanya (Editor Femina India)

For every doubting Thomas who tells you women can’t scale mountains, wrestle in the ring, endure physical hardship, your comeback should be a simple hashtag:#StandStrong.
There’s no bigger retaliation than success, they say. So show your calibre to these detractors or anybody who believes that we, as women, lack the potential to be physically as fit as men by being just that. Not to say that it will be an easy process.
The conditioning that we are not at par physically starts early. From the time we are offered a hand to bring down the cookie jar to when we are told not to lift too heavy a weight; when the sports selectors in schools bypass promising girl children or when the male friends refuse to count us in in any serious hiking plans—that feeling of being physically less is ingrained right from the beginning.
So how is it that we witness sportswomen like Mary Kom packing a punch in the arena or a badminton champ like PV Sindhu physically pushing herself to the limits? Or the fact that celebs like Jacqueline Fernandez, Taapsee Pannu, Katrina Kaif swear by their fitness routine and are known to train for longer hours than their male counterparts?
Then again look beyond these superwomen. Look around you. There are regular women storming into male bastions, physically-challenging professions and pursuits, and coming out triumphant. This new-found confidence comes with taking care of yourself, being cognizant of the fact that our body needs to be given TLC, from the right diet and nutrition to exercise and care to help us stand strong.
This is when I raise a toast: Here’s to strong women. May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them!

How to kill loneliness in your relationship

If you think that you can never feel lonely if you are in a relationship, think again. Research shows that loneliness is a condition that afflicts all kinds of people, not just those who are living by themselves. Loneliness can be fatal, if not checked on time. A study by Brigham Young University in Utah, US, covering around 3.4 million people around the world, shows that loneliness can raise the death risk by at least 30 per cent. It can damage our health and lead to myriad complications in life, thanks to the persistent feelings of disappointment and incompleteness that are usually associated with loneliness. But the situation can be entirely salvageable. Here's what you can do to stop feeling lonely in your relationship:

Love yourselfEmotional overdependence on your partner can be detrimental to your well-being. Do not feel that your happiness entirely depends on your partner. Instead give time to yourself as well. Spend quality time with yourself, doing things that you like best.

Bond with othersIf you have been neglecting your relationships with friends and relatives, reconnect. Go out with your friends, share your innermost feelings with your siblings and mingle with a wider circle of friends, without waiting for your bae to wholeheartedly pay attention to you.

Keep ego in checkDo not withdraw into a shell, just because you and your partner have had differences. Do not let a chasm grow between you and your partner. Keep your ego aside and start reconnecting. Begin with banal things such as talking about the weather.

Quality couple timeLoneliness can creep into a relationship when both partners stop doing things that they enjoyed together, for whatever reason. For instance, you may have stopped working out together. Make a conscious effort to bring those couple habits back.

Heart talkCommunication is always the key when you need to break any impasse in a relationship, according to counsellors. If you are feeling lonely, talk to your partner about it. If your partner has also been feeling lonely, address the elephant in the room.